Machine-Type Communication (MTC) is an important revenue stream for operators and has a huge potential from the operator perspective. Lowering the cost of MTC user equipment (UEs)/devices is an important enabler for the implementation of the concept of “internet of things” (IOT). Many MTC devices are targeting low-end (low average revenue per user, low data rate) applications that can be handled adequately by GSM/GPRS. In order to ensure that there is a clear business benefit to MTC UE vendors and operators for migrating low-end MTC devices from GSM/GPRS to LTE networks, a new type of terminal, i.e. a low cost (LC) MTC UE, is introduced in Rel-11. The cost of the LC-MTC UEs is tailored for the low-end of the MTC market to be competitive with that of GSM/GPRS terminals. The LC-MTC UEs are characterized by: 1) One Rx antenna; 2) Downlink and uplink maximum TBS size of 1000 bits; 3) Bandwidth reduction—resources for each channel transmission are limited to contiguous 6 PRBs (1.4 MHz) for cost reduction, and 4) Coverage enhancement—some applications of LC-MTC UEs will require 15-20 dB coverage extension and repeated transmission is a common technique to compensate penetration losses.
A solution is provided to schedule resources for LC-MTC UEs efficiently and to support frequency hopping to improve performance in coverage extension mode.